Clay and Mortar

† חֶ֫רֶשׂ n.[m.] earthenware, earthen vessel, sherd, potsherd, P and late (NH חֶרֶס, Aramaic חֲרַס)—abs. ח׳ Lv 6:21 + 9 times, חָ֑רֶשׂ Nu 5:17 + 4 times; pl. cstr. חַרְשֵׂי Is 45:9; sf. חֲרָשֶׂיהָ Ez 23:34.— 1. earthenware: כְּלִי־ח׳ earthen vessel Je 32:14; especially P Lv 6:21; 11:33; 14:5, 50; 15:12; Nu 5:17; without כְּלִי Pr 26:23; cf. בַּקְבֻּק יוֹצֵר ח׳ Je 19:1; לְנִבְלֵי ח׳ La 4:2 they are reckoned as earthen vessels, sim. of sons of Zion; חֶרֶשׂ אֶת־חַרְשֵׂי אֲדָמָה Is 45:9 a potsherd (perhaps = earthen vessel, v. Pr 26:23 supr.) among earthen potsherds (of men, over against י׳ their potter); sim. of dryness ψ 22:16. 2. a fragment of earthenware, sherd Is 30:14 Ez 23:34; ה׳ לְהִתְגָּרֵד Jb 2:8 a sherd to scrape himself; חַדּוּדֵי ח׳ Jb 41:22 sharpest potsherds, fig. of sharp scales on belly of crocodile.

† I. חֹ֫מֶר n.m. cement, mortar, clay;—ח׳ abs. Gn 11:3 + 13 times; cstr. Is 10:6 + 2 times;— 1. mortar, cement for holding building-stones (brick) together Gn 11:3 (J), Ex 1:14 (P; both ‖ לְבֵנִים); Na 3:14 (‖ טיט). 2. clay: a. as material of vessels Je 18:4, 6, ח׳ היצר Is 29:16, in sim. of God’s fashioning man Is 45:9; 64:7; Jb 10:9; as material of human bodies בָּתֵּי ח׳ Jb 4:19 cf. 33:6; as material of bulwarks (disparagingly) Jb 13:12; ח׳ חותם = seal-clay i.e. clay upon which seal is pressed. b. = mire ח׳ חוצות Is 10:6; הֹרַנִי לַח׳ Jb 30:19 he hath cast me into the mire, i.e. deeply humiliated me (עָפָר and אֵפֶר in ‖ cl.); as sim. of commonness, abundance Jb 27:16 (‖ עָפָר); Is. 41:25.

† III. חֹ֫מֶר n.m. homer, a dry measure (perhaps from above √, but dub.; cf. Assyrian amâru, surround, contain, ii. R 36:19 a. b Strm4760, imêru, a measure ZimBP 6 n)—ח׳ abs. Is 5:10 + 5 times Ez; cstr. Ho 3:2 + 3 times; pl. הֳמָרִים Nu 11:32;—ח׳ of barley Ho 3:2; Ez 45:13, cf. זֶרַע ח׳ שְׂעֹרִים Lv 27:16 i.e. land on which a ח׳ of barley seed was sown (taxed at 50 shekels); ח׳ of wheat Ez 45:13; in gen. זֶרַע ח׳ Is 5:10; = 10 ephahs (or baths, v. בַּת sub בתת) Ez 45:11(×3), 14(×2) (in v 14 del. Co); on actual size of ח׳, = 393.9 litres, v. Hultzsch Metrol. 2nd ed. 448, 452 f.. See further ii. בַּת and reff., BenzArch. 183 f. NowArch. i, 203 f.

† חֲסַף n.[m.] clay, potsherd (𝔗 id.; Chr-Pal. ܚܣܦܐ clay vessel, ܚܨܒܢܐ pl. potsherds Schulth 68, Syriac ܚܶܨܦܳܐ potsherd; 𝔗 חַצְבָא, NH חָצָב clay vessel; Assyrian ḫaṣbu, id.; ܚܨܰܦ jar (PS 1238), whence Arabic خَزَفٌ pottery Frä 169, but Sab. חסף jar, according to HomZMG xlvi (1892), 532; cf. Ethiopic ܚܶܙܒܳܐ: jar (transp.; Di 1265); v. BH [חַסְפַּם]);—ח׳ abs. Dn 2:41 (ח׳ דִּי פֶּחָר), חֲסַ֑ף v 33, 42; cstr. ח׳ טִינָא v 41, 43; emph. חַסְפָּא v 34, 35, 43, 45.

πηλός (Doric dialect πᾱλός Refs 5th c.BC+:— clay, earth, used by masons and potters, Refs 5th c.BC+; π. ἠχυρωμένος clay mixed with chaff for use as mortar, LXX; εὐώδεϊ πηλῷ, of earth on which wine has been poured, Refs 3rd c.AD+; Βρομιώδεα π. φύρησαν.. Χάριτες, of a drinkingcup, Refs 1st c.AD+: metaphorically, clay from which man was made: hence ὁ π. ὁ Προμηθεῖος, of man, Refs 5th c.BC+ __2 mud, mire, Refs 5th c.BC+; κάσις πηλοῦ ξύνουρος, i. e. dust, Refs 3rd c.BC+ __II poetical, thick or muddy wine, lees, Refs 5th c.BC+; of wine spilt on the floor, Refs 1st c.AD+; compare Πηλεύς near the end __III metaphorically, dolt, blockhead, Comedy texts Adesp.Refs

ὀστρᾰκ-ῐνος, η, ον, earthen, made of clay, of vessels, NT+5th c.BC+ __2 like earthenware, ὀστράκινατὸ δέρμα, ={ὀστρακόδερμα}, variant in Refs 2nd c.AD+

κερᾰμ-ῐκός, ή, όν, of or for pottery, γῆ κ. potter's earth, Refs 5th c.BC+; κ. ῥύμη, ={Κεραμεικός}, Refs 5th c.BC+; ὁ κ. τροχός Refs 1st c.BC+; κ. μάστιξ, Comedy texts Phrase for ostracism, Refs 3rd c.AD+; ἡ -κή (i.e. τέχνη) the potter's art, pottery, Refs 5th c.BC+; see at {κεραμεικός}.

κέρᾰμος, ὁ, rare plural κέραμα, τά, Refs 3rd c.BC+:— potter's earth, potter's clay, Refs 5th c.BC+ __II anything made of this earth, as __II.1 earthen vessel, wine-jar, ἐκ κεράμων μέθυ πίνετο Refs 8th c.BC+; in collective sense, pottery, Refs 5th c.BC+; κ. ἐσάγεται πλήρης οἴνου jars full of wine, Refs 5th c.BC+ __II.1.b jar of other material, κ. ἀργυροῦς Refs 2nd c.BC+ __II.2 tile, Refs 5th c.BC+; collectively, tiling, τοῦ τέγους τὸν κέραμον αὐτοῦ χαλάζαις.. ξυντρίψομεν Refs 5th c.BC+ roof, Refs 5th c.BC+ __II.3 pottery (i.e.place of manufacture), ὁ κ. ὁ χυτρικός Refs __III dungeon (said by Refs 8th c.BC+. (Possibly cognate with Latin cremo.)

† מֶ֫לֶט n.[m.] mortar, cement (etym. dub.; Aramaic ܡܠܳܛܳܐ id., whence Arabic مِلَاطٌ Frä10);—Je 43:9.